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It’s Okay to Feel Scared, Angry, and Even Hopeful (just not Apathetic)

With Sunday’s shooting in Las Vegas, NV, it’s definitely normal to have a whole heap of emotions running through you.

It was a tragic event where people were murdered and many more were injured. For many, their lives were changed forever in an instant. Many of us are grieving and trying to find a sense of normality in our own way.

If you’re scared, I want you to know that it’s okay to feel scared. The people who were attacked were going to a concert. Concerts in Las Vegas aren’t out of the ordinary, yet what happened was out of a nightmare. Many people viciously died and many more were hurt. It’s okay to feel less secure than you did before. With the rising frequency of mass shootings in the United States, it is perfectly normal to feel some degree of fear trying to lead a normal life.

It’s also okay to be angry. You can be mad at the shooter, at politicians about the ever-lasting gun control debate, and even at the world as a whole. How you feel is how people tend to feel when injustice happens.

During this time, if you feel a little bit of hope, that’s okay too. It’s normal for people to try to look at the bright side of tragic situations. It may be your way of coping with the stress of the aftermath of the event. Just because you’re being hopeful doesn’t automatically make you an insensitive person; it may mean that you’re trying to be a guiding light for others (and yourself).

It’s okay to feel all these different emotions, but I must tell you, it’s not okay to be apathetic. Being apathetic means that you don’t care or don’t care enough. Being apathetic means that you’ve been beaten down so much that don’t even want to think about trying. It means that you’re numb to the pain of the world and have lost your humanity. Our capacity to care for each other is what will help us rise above this calamity.